Grades: Cotton Bowl

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Quarterback: It’s strange to think that Penn State’s offense exploded for 53 points with an average performance from its quarterback, but that’s exactly what Penn State got. Sean Clifford was frequently under pressure when he dropped back, and he managed to make some plays with his feet, but his 11-20 performance for 133 yards certainly wasn’t the reason the Nittany Lions won the game.

GRADE: C+

Running Back: Comparatively, Penn State could not have asked for a better day out of its running backs. The Nittany Lion backs carried the ball for 354 yards, scoring five touchdowns. They were explosive at times, too, with Journey Brown collecting three runs of 30-plus yards by himself. Noah Cain also made some nice runs, including seven rushes in the fourth quarter to put this one away.

GRADE: A+

Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: There were limited opportunities for this group, as Penn State simply ran the ball so well. Pat Freiermuth created a highlight by running over a Memphis player, and Jahan Dotson led the team with three receptions and a touchdown. Most importantly, the receivers blocked well as the running game got rolling.

GRADE: B

Offensive Line: Penn State’s offensive line couldn’t have been much better in the running game, but it struggled mightily in pass protection, allowing four sacks as Clifford was pressured constantly throughout the game.

GRADE: B-

DEFENSIVE LINE: The defensive line was up and down all day. Jayson Oweh, Robert Windsor, PJ Mustipher and Yetur Gross-Matos all had one sack each, but that was about it. In fact, Gross-Matos' one-handed sack in the second quarter was the only tackle he had all day. It was a great play, but you have to expect more from a player that's projected to go high in April's NFL Draft. Windsor aadded two other quarterback hurries, but overall, they struggled to get pressure at times, especially in the first and third quarters.

GRADE: B-

LINEBACKERS: Micah Parsons had the best game of his career. Not only did he lead the team with 14 tackles, but he also totaled two sacks and two forced fumbles. His quarterback hurry against Brady White in the third quarter, which resulted in a pick-six for Garrett Taylor, was the play of the game. Jan Johnson and Cam Brown had OK performances, although pass coverage was an issue at times. Parsons gets an A. The rest were average.

GRADE: B+

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Memphis put up big passing numbers all season, but 479 yards was by far the most any team had let up against the Tigers in 2019. Part of that was because Memphis also rushed for just 63 yards - its previous low was 105 yards vs. Navy - but it was still a pretty poor performance. PSU's defensive backs made some nice plays in coverage, but missed tackles and missed assignments allowed way too many chunk plays. However, it should be noted that Garrett Taylor had a solid day overall. He's easily the best open field tackler in this secondary.

GRADE: D

SPECIAL TEAMS: Blake Gillikin averaged 45.3 yards on three attempts, while Jake Pinegar made a crucial 45-yard attempt in the third quarter. Most importantly, PSU’s coverage units kept one of the best return teams in the country limited from start to finish.

GRADE: A

COACHING: The clock management at the end of the first half was poor. No doubt about that. However, Tyler Bowen did a pretty good job considering this was his first time calling plays at this level. The defensive mistakes in the secondary haven't gone away, which was worrisome for fans, but this was a good win against a Memphis squad that has more skill position talent than most of the teams Penn State faced this season.

GRADE: B-

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